In many cases, math difficulty indicates a more general learning issue. In these cases, we recommend our own Math Intensive, which gets after math issues from the bottom up (using cognitive software to go after the skill delays that impeded numeracy and cause most math difficulties) and from the top down with guided math curriculum broken down by grade.
Where there is simply a narrow math issue, which just needs a bit of practice, here are our favorite sites.
Mathletics (Broad K-12 Curriculum)
www.mathletics.com is a comprehensive math website, organized by grade that presents math practice and instruction in a fun environment. It allows parents to pick K-12 grade appropriate subject areas, four at a time, that can be adapted to be easier or harder. The student then spends 15 minutes or so a day working on these subjects, ending with the opportunity to earn points and play reward games.
What we like about Mathletics versus the many alternatives is the focus on incentives and rewards — the leader-board, points, levels, games — and the weekly reports sent to parents. Subscription is about $60 per year per student, and client feedback about Mathletics since we started recommending it has been very good.
Khan Academy (Individual Lessons)
www.khanacademy.org is a fantastic free website, backed by Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation, that has thousands of lessons on all aspects of math, at all levels. If your child needs help with any particular math concept, go to this site for engaging video tutorials. It is extremely well organized and searchable, making it relatively easier to find age appropriate videos on any math need. PS. It has many other subjects also.
Waza and Cabanga (Neuroscience Based Natural Math Learning)
Six Red Marbles has two separate math websites, Waza for K-2 and Cabanga for Middle School. It takes an adaptive, natural learning approach to math, wrapped in engaging theme games that students love. The idea here is to teach math dexterity and curriculum intuitively and naturally. It triggers natural curiosity and desire to learn by integrating math facts (Waza) and concepts (Cabanga) into the pursuit of game goals. Waza is about finding kidnapped friends by skipping around planets, while Cabanga students run a talent agency and need to recruit and match talent to job offers. Students find both programs addictive.
Waza and Cabanga are mapped to K-2 and 6-8 national math curriculum standards and, in our view, represent the future of math instruction online. They incorporate the latest in neuroscience and take advantage of the latest in learning algorithms and graphics. Subscriptions run about $10 per month.
Math Plus Flash Cards (Math Facts)
As far as we know, there is nothing on the web yet that comes close to the adaptive and multi-dimensional power of Reflex Math that we offer as an add-on to our cognitive learning solution. However, if you are looking quick fire, math fact practice, the flashcards on www.aplusmath.com work quite well. The site is a little clunky looking, but the math fact algorithms work well. All operations are available and the material will progress.
If you have any other math website that you feel strongly about, please let us know. Things move fast on the web, so please understand that these our current recommendations.